Tennessee State Route 386
 State Route 386 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam Veterans Boulevard | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 17.3 mi (27.8 km) | |||
| Existed | 1981–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-65 in Nashville | |||
| East end |    US 31E / SR 25 / SR 174 in Gallatin | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Davidson, Sumner | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
State Route 386 (SR 386) is a major east-west state route located in Davidson and Sumner Counties in Tennessee. It is known as Vietnam Veterans Boulevard, and serves as a bypass for U.S. Highway 31E (US 31E) and a connector to Hendersonville and Gallatin from Nashville. The entire route is a four-lane controlled-access highway.
Route description
SR 386 begins at a two-way "partial y" interchange with I-65 in Davidson County north of Nashville. The route is only accessible from I-65 northbound, and I-65 northbound is not directly accessible from SR 386 westbound. The route begins with a 70-mile-per-hour (115 km/h) speed limit in Davidson County, which reduces to 65 mph (105 km/h) upon entering Sumner County less than a mile later. About two miles later the route has a trumpet interchange with a connector to US 31E, signed as US 31E. The route then curves slightly to the southeast and enters the central part of Hendersonville and has interchanges with SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road), Indian Lake Boulevard, and Saundersville Road, before coming to a partial y interchange with US 31E in what was originally the eastern terminus of the route. As a result, SR 386 curves sharply to the north, crossing US 31E and a CSX railroad again, and curves to the northeast again, and enters an mix of an urban and rural area, coming to an interchange with Big Station Camp Boulevard about 3 miles later. SR 386 then has an interchange with Green Lea Boulevard, and about 3/4 mile later it reaches an at-grade intersection with SR 174, where SR 386 becomes concurrent with SR 174 and the road becomes an undivided 4-lane highway. They continue east into Gallatin, and about a mile later connects to SR 109 via an interchange, where SR 386 becomes unsigned. SR 174/SR 386 then become 2-lanes as they pass through several neighborhoods before coming to a y-intersection and becoming concurrent with SR 25. They then continue to the western edge of downtown, where SR 386 comes to an at an intersection with US 31E/SR 6.
History
The route that is now SR 386 was originally proposed to provide more convenient means of transportation to Nashville for residents of Hendersonville, which had grown significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The Hendersonville Transportation Study of 1978 listed 35 priority projects with the section through Hendersonville as number 1 and the connection to I-65 as number 2. A 1980 transportation study conducted for Nashville and Davidson County initiated the project.[1]
Construction began on the first section, located in Hendersonville, in March 1981.[2] This section, located between New Shackle Island Road and US 31E, was completed in 1983, and the section between the US 31E connector and New Shackle Island Road was completed in 1987. These sections were initially referred to as the Hendersonville Bypass. Construction began on the extension to I-65 in 1988. The segment between Two Mile Pike and Conference Drive was opened on April 5, 1990,[3] and the final leg of the original bypass was opened to traffic on October 4, 1990.[4]
Beginning in early 2006, the highway was extended east to Gallatin after that city experienced further growth and transportation needs.[5] This was completed in late 2007.
In 2010 TDOT began studying the possibility of extending the route further east into Gallatin.[6] Also that year the speed limit was reduced from 70 to 65 mph in Sumner County and warning signs were installed around the curve near US 31E in an effort to improve safety on the highway that had developed a high rate of traffic accidents.[7] Early into the route's history it began to experience congestion problems during rush hour. Future plans including widening the highway to six lanes.[8]
Vietnam War legacy
In 1987, SR 386 was renamed the Vietnam Veterans Boulevard after the efforts of the Sumner County chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.[9] In 2012 the chapter worked with the Tennessee General Assembly to install signs along the highway, located each about a half mile apart, that list the names of the 25 Sumner County residents who died in the Vietnam War.[10]
Exit list
 | This section is missing mileposts for junctions. |
| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson | Goodlettsville |  I-65 south – Nashville | Southern terminus; northbound exit and southbound entrance; no direct access from southbound I-65 or to I-65 northbound; I-65 exit 95 | |||
| 1 | Conference Drive | Two southbound ramps | ||||
| Sumner | Hendersonville | 2 | Center Point Road | |||
| 3 | US 31E (SR 6) – Hendersonville | |||||
| 6 |  SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road) – White House, Hendersonville | |||||
| 7 | Indian Lake Boulevard, Drakes Creek Road | |||||
| 8 | Saundersville Road | |||||
| 9 | US 31E (SR 6) – Gallatin | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||||
| Gallatin | 12 | Big Station Camp Boulevard | ||||
| 14 | Green Lea Boulevard | |||||
 SR 174 west (Long Hollow Pike) – Goodlettsville | Southern end of SR 174 concurrency; at-grade intersection with traffic signal; end of divided highway | |||||
 SR 109 – Portland, Gallatin, Lebanon | At-grade intersection with traffic signal (via a diamond interchange on SR 109); SR 386 becomes unsigned | |||||
| SR 25 west – Springfield | Southern end of SR 25 concurrency; at-grade intersection | |||||
 US 31E (SR 6) / SR 25 east / SR 174 east | Northern end of SR 25 concurrency; northern end of SR 174 concurrency; northern terminus; at-grade intersection | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation (1985). SR-386 (proposed), Davidson/Sumner Counties: Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
{{cite report}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|authors=(help) - ^ . Nashville, Tennessee. March 5, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Hendersonville bypass section open after delay". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. April 6, 1990. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marculies, Ellen (October 6, 1990). "Sleep in! Hendersonville bypass is the darling of commuters". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State of Tennessee Notice to Contractors of State Highway Construction Bids to Be Received January 20, 2006 (Mowing and Litter) Computer-Assisted Bidding (CAB) Mandatory on All Contracts" (PDF) (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "Feasibility Study SR 386 (Vietnam Veterans Blvd.)/US 31 E Connector from State Route 386 to State Route 109 (Phase 2)" (PDF) (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. October 3, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "Speed Limit Reduced on Vietnam Veterans Boulevard (State Route 386)" (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. July 20, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ Charrin, Matt (January 22, 2015). "Officials see potential for SR-386 expansion". The Hendersonville Standard. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "Bypass honors Vietnam vets". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. July 8, 1987. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Novi, Edward (March–April 2013). "Sumner County, Tennessee, Chapter 240: A Commitment To Service". The VVA Veteran. Retrieved January 24, 2018.